Community School

7815 WILLIAMSON RD

Roanoke, VA 24019

10 Reviews

School District
Grade

n/a
Type

private

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Reviews

Submitted by parent on February 07, 2013

Great learning environment for young children ~ kids are given the ability to explore their personal interests more than they can in public school. The teachers are fantastic, too! There is not another school around that even compares to this one in allowing children to grow, learn, explore and form lifelong friendships. Great school!
Submitted by parent on January 14, 2013

I love Community School. My son started there in middle school and we love it! His teachers are caring, kind, and concerned. He previously went to another private school that focused on rote learning and really stifled his creativity. He began to hate school even though he was an honor roll student who was actually skipped a grade! Community School has renewed his love of learning and challenged him so much more! He was so focused on always getting the "right" answer that he did not value the lesson learned from making mistakes and realizing that sometimes there can be more than one answer. Previous people have mentioned the school's lack of diversity and while there are not a lot of minority children at the school my son is one of them and we have not experienced any problems. I truly feel that Community School has embraced my child and our family, but most importantly I will forever be grateful that they have returned my son's natural love of learning.
Submitted by other on January 09, 2013

going to Community School was the best experience that i ever had. i was part of the exchange program that the school has for 2 years, i am bolivian and CS is the most welcoming school ever, the fact that the classes are so small help students to conect with the teachers in a way i had never seen before, this kids are very respectfull not only to the teachers and principals but also to each other, and there is 0 bullying tolerance. this school helps children to overcome their fears and problems is has excellent teacher who gare very involved with their students and helps them feel comftable with theirselves and have and become part of their families.
Submitted by parent on January 04, 2013

I have had two children at Community School. I could not be more pleased. Contrary to the review posted below, I found a zero tolerence on the elementary campus for bullying. Not only from the staff but from the students as well. Each child is appreciated for their own personality and strengths, however different they may be. I KNOW my children's self esteem is the best it can be, because they were never worried about being like everyone else. Both my kids have learned that you can find something to like about everyone, no matter how different they may be from you. It is a small campus, less than 140 students with a class size limit of 11 students. I appreciated all the individual attention my children received, I also continue to appreciate, (now that my oldest is in high school) that they are taught to be responsible for thier own education. To study and assimilate information on their own. My child does not need to be held by the hand in preperation for a test. The kids are taught a rule, "The Big One" be kind to yourself, others, and your envirnment. I saw , and heard, this being used constantly. From the preschoolers to the middleschoolers.
Submitted by parent on January 04, 2013

There is no question in my mind that this IS the best elementary/middle school in the Roanoke Valley. Being a child at CS, my son learns through experience, study and play. He is taught by teachers, administrators and other children. His opinions and input are valued. His interestes in the world are both fostered and challenged. Along with learning science, math, reading, music, art, drama and spanish he learns respect, tolerance, culture and acceptance. He feels free to be himself and is eager to go to school every single day. He feels loved and safe and tells me often how much it means to him to be a part of Community School. People we meet will often ask me where my son goes to school after they have spent time or had a conversation with him, impressed with his knowledge, openness and respectfulness. And usually he answers before I even get the chance: I go to Community School and I love it! I love it, too. I know that every day when I drop him off he is in the care of people who truly love and care for him. Few things give a parent as much comfort when trusting his/her child to the care of others as knowing he is loved and happy in the company of those he is surrounded by.
Submitted by parent on January 04, 2013

I have to be careful not to gush,so as not to sound insincere. Oh, never mind, I can't help it! To date, Community School has had the single most positive, lifelong effect on my middle school daughter. As a 4th grade public school student, the cumulative effect of years of testing prep, mundane instruction, and lack of time outdoors, left her stagnant and unhappy at school. This same quiet, bored little girl is seen today skipping down the schoolyard paths, arm-in-arm with friends (of all ages, cultures and colors) laughing and excited to participate in what's sure to be an engaging, meaningful activity. She may be reading under a tree, or performing in a play. She could be sharing a current event in morning meeting, or planning meals for the school's camping trip. Recently, she went to DC to take an ethics in photo journalism class and followed up a robotics class with a hands-on visit to the hospital to observe a surgical robot. I think every child can benefit from this learning environment. Visit the school to observe this and more. Only, don't spend a lot of time trying to identify my child. You'll find EVERY CHILD at the school could be the child I described above!
Submitted by parent on November 27, 2012

The lower Community School lacks diversity of any kind, racial, ethnic, or economic. Therefore, its claims to cultural openness appear to be untested. In addition, its focus on allowing children to be the masters of their own domain also, from what I can see, leads to bullying with little oversight or authority. On the other hand the high school, which is not directly affiliated with Community School but is a "sister school", and at which many of the positive reviews below are directed, does not suffer from the same defects, and is much truer to its mission. The children graduating from Community High School are thoughtful, generally kind, and incredibly self-possessed, prepared to become responsible stewards of our moral culture. I could not be more pleased with Community High School. The lower school is very different, and despite being older in years, has much to learn.
Submitted by parent on November 27, 2011

We transfered our daughter there when she was entering the 10th grade. At CHS she was stimulated, learned to write, challenged and inspired to reach her greatest potential. I would recommend this high school to anyone wanting something more for their child.
Submitted by parent on May 11, 2010

LOVE Community High School. I think it may be best for children who are naturally intellectually inquisitive and culturally open-minded. I love the individual attention my daughter gets, and am incredibly pleased with the rigor in the curriculum. Add to this, the children are held directly accountable for their failures and successes -- and that direct accountability works. I have no complaints at all. My daughter really cares what her teachers think of her. There is a mutual respect there I've not witnessed at other schools.
Submitted by parent on April 22, 2009

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